Monday, January 26, 2015

Sharon Jackson won the Women's Open division of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am by defeating Susana Acosta in the final, 15-13, 15-10. In the semi-finals, Jackson beat Da'monique Davis, 15-11, 15-12, and Acosta had the narrowest possible win over Adrienne Haynes, 15-14, 15-14.

Over in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Jose Diaz won Men's Open with a win over Jordan Barth, the current World Junior Champion in Boy's U14. Diaz defeated Tim Landeryou, 15-6, 15-7, in one semi-final, with Barth beat Lee Connell, 15-3, 15-6, in the other.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Alejandro Cardona defeated Anthony Herrera, 15-8, 15-0, to win the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) San Diego Open Sunday. They were close early in game one, but Cardona pulled ahead to lead 8-4, and was in control from there.

Cardona drove serve to both sides, and hit some great forehands that kept Herrera under pressure. Often it was all Herrera could do to just keep the ball in play, let alone make a good shot of his own.

Jake Bredenbeck and Sebastian Franco won the WRT doubles division by defeating Javier Mar and Alan Natera, 15-13, 6-15, 11-5, in the final. Mar and Natera were surprise finalists, as they were the 6th seeds, but knocked off the 3rd seeds Jaime Martell and Andree Parrilla in the quarterfinals and 2nd seeds Herrera and David Horn in the semi-finals to reach the final.

The next two WRT events are the Seattle Open February 19-22 and then the Pleasanton Open in Pleasanton, California February 17-March 1.

Kane Waselenchuk won the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Lewis Drug 37th Annual Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sunday by defeating Rocky Carson in the final, 11-5, 11-5, 11-1. With the win, Waselenchuk should regain the #1 IRT ranking from Carson. Sunday's win was Waselenchuk's fifth this season.

In four tournament matches in Sioux Falls, Waselenchuk didn't lose a single game, and his opponents only scored 27 points total (2.25 points per game).

The final, which unofficially took 48 minutes, was unusual in that Waselenchuk lob served far more than he drove serve. We counted 40 lob serves to 12 drive serves over the course of the match, although at the end of game three Waselenchuk hit three consecutive drive serves to end it.

Waselenchuk generally controlled the match right from the start, as he took a 6-1 lead in game one. Carson called a timeout, and scored two points to cut Waselenchuk's lead to 6-3.

But that was as close as Carson could get, as Waselenchuk won game one 11-5. Game two was similar, as Waselenchuk led 6-1, and 7-3 before winning 11-5 again. Game three wasn't close at all, as Waselenchuk completed the sweep, 11-1.

In the doubles final, Carson and Alvaro Beltran defeated Waselenchuk and Ben Croft, 15-13, 15-14, although it looked like it would be the other way, as Waselenchuk and Croft jumped out to a 7-1 lead in game one. However, Carson and Alvaro Beltran came back and won it 15-13.

Then in game two, Carson and Beltran took 5-1 and 8-4 leads only to see Waselenchuk and Croft come back and tie it at 8-8. But Carson and Beltran responded by regaining the lead and running the score to 14-11.

However, Waselenchuk and Croft got the serve back, and scored three points off two forehand pinch shots by Croft and a Waselenchuk drive serve to the right - Alvaro Beltran's side - that was an ace.

At 14-14, Waselenchuk again drove the ball to Beltran, but that led to a ceiling ball error by Croft, which was forced by a strong Beltran shot.

Back in the service box, Beltran hit a straight lob to Croft, who returned it cross court to Carson. Carson hit a backhand pinch shot - the last of many he hit in the match - for the winning point.

The IRT event will be in Sarasota, Florida next for the IRT Florida Pro-Am February 25 to March 1.

Paola Longoria defeated Maria Jose Vargas in a battle of the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) #1 & #2 ranked players, respectively, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5, to win the 2015 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am. It will be their fourth meeting this season, and Longoria's won all four times.

Longoria also won the doubles final with Samantha Salas, as they defeated Vargas and Rhonda Rajsich, 15-9, 12-15, 11-9.

The Winter Classic in Overland Park, Kansas February 20-22 is the next LPRT tournament.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Kane Waselenchuk clearly wants to get the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) ranking back, as he's reach the final of the IRT Lewis Drug 37th Annual Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by winning three matches in which he allowed his opponent no more than six points.

Waselenchuk won his semi-final match against Ben Croft, who he's playing doubles with in Sioux Falls, 11-3, 11-1, 11-2. That after beating Alejandro Landa, 11-1, 11-2, 11-1, in the quarterfinals.

Waselenchuk will play the winner of Rocky Carson, who's currently the IRT #1, as Carson defeated 5th seed Jose Rojas, 11-0, 12-10, 11-4, in the other semi.

Waselenchuk and Carson will also face off in the doubles final, as Waselenchuk and Croft defeated Landa and Charlie Pratt, 15-6, 15-6, in one semi-final with Carson and Alvaro Beltran beating Jansen Allen and Jose Rojas in the other, 15-12, 15-12.

The IRT Network will have the singles final at 10:30 AM and doubles final at 11:30 AM on Sunday.

Anthony Herrera ended Felipe Muñoz's great run through the draw at the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) San Diego Open with a 15-5, 15-8 win in the semi-finals Saturday night. Herrera was in control in both games, as Muñoz didn't play as well as he had earlier in the the tournament when he had wins over top seed Jake Bredenbeck and 9th seed Andree Parrilla.

Herrera will play 3rd seed Alejandro Cardona in the final, as Cardona fought off 2nd seed Polo Gutierrez in two close games, 15-11, 15-13.

Cardona started the match on fire taking leads of 6-0 and 13-5. However, the crafty veteran Gutierrez came back to make the score 13-10. But he was forced into a backhand skip and then when Gutierrez had a chance to get the serve back with a set up in the front court, the put the ball into the middle, allowing Cardona to get a game point at 14-10.

But Cardona didn't close it out until his third game point, when Gutierrez skipped a backhand pinch shot.

In game two, they were back and forth. Gutierrez led 5-2, then Cardona led 11-6, only to see Gutierrez score seven points to lead 13-11. It looked like a tie-breaker was going to happen, but Gutierrez stalled at 13, and Cardona took advantage.

Cardona tied the game with a drive serve to the right side that was a service winner. He hit another winner for to get his first match point. Gutierrez fought that off with a backhand down the line, but Cardona got the serve right back with a flat forehand splat.

On his second match point, Cardona drove serve to the right, Gutierrez returned it cross court, and Cardona hit a soft backhand pinch into the left corner to win the match.

Regardless of the singles final outcome, neither Cardona or Herrera will be double winners Sunday, as they both lost in the doubles semi-finals Saturday night. Jake Bredenbeck and Sebastian Franco defeated Cardona and Danny Lavely, 15-2, 15-5, in one semi, while Javier Mar and Alan Natera squeaked out a win against Herrera and David Horn, 11-15, 15-7, 11-10, in the other.

The final will be live streamed via the WRT website at noon PST on Sunday.

Paola Longoria and Maria Jose Vargas - the #1 & #2 ranked players, respectively, on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), will face off Sunday in the final of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am. It will be their fourth meeting this season, but first since the US Open in October.

Longoria's won their previous three matches this season, and has not lost to Vargas in their careers.

Felipe Munoz continues to win at the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) San Diego Open despite being the 32nd seed. He knocked off 8th seed Andree Parrilla, 10-15, 15-9, 11-5, in the quarterfinals, and will play 5th seed Anthony Herrera in the semi-finals, as Herrera beat 20th seed Jordy Alonso, 15-14, 15-12.

Play has gone according to the seeding on the bottom of the draw, as 2nd seed Polo Gutierrez will play 3rd seed Alejandro Cardona in the other semi-final. Gutierrez beat 7th seed Sebastian Franco, 15-13, 15-14, and Cardona defeated 6th seed Jaime Martell, 15-7, 15-5.

Kane Waselenchuk clearly wants to get the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) ranking back, as he's reach the final of the IRT Lewis Drug 37th Annual Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by winning three matches in which he allowed his opponent no more than six points.

Waselenchuk won his semi-final match against Ben Croft, who he's playing doubles with in Sioux Falls, 11-3, 11-1, 11-2. That after beating Alejandro Landa, 11-1, 11-2, 11-1, in the quarterfinals.

Waselenchuk will play Rocky Carson, who's currently the IRT #1, as he defeated 5th seed Jose Rojas, 11-0, 12-10, 11-4, in the other semi-final.

The IRT Network will have the action all weekend long. The doubles semi-finals are set for 4:40 PM Saturday with the singles final at 10:30 AM and doubles final at 11:30 AM on Sunday.

Carson played solidly, and served mostly drives to the left by standing slightly right of centre. Rojas used a variety of serves, which kept Carson guessing, but during the rallies there were too many shots that Rojas put into the middle, which let Carson control the match.

The IRT Network will carry the quarterfinals from 10 AM CST Saturday. The semi-finals are set for 3 PM and 3:50 PM Saturday with the final at 10:30 AM on Sunday.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Only one upset in the Round of 16 of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2015 Lewis Drug 37th Annual Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as Alejandro Landa came back from two games down to defeat 7th seed Jansen Allen, 11-13, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4. Landa will play IRT #2 Kane Waselenchuk in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Waselenchuk defeated Tanner Prentice, 11-2, 11-2, 11-2, in the quarters.

Third seed Alvaro Beltran also had comeback from 2-1 down against Tim Landeryou to win in five games, 11-9, 1-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-8.

The IRT Network will carry the quarterfinals from 10 AM CST Saturday. The semi-finals are set for 3 PM and 3:50 PM Saturday with the final at 10:30 AM on Sunday.

Felipe Munoz, seeded 32 going into the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) San Diego Open, has reached the quarterfinals with a win over 17th seed Mario Mercado, 15-7, 15-10, in the Round of 16 Friday.

Another upset happened in the 16s, as 20th seed Jordy Alonso beat 4th seed David Horn, 9-15, 15-14, 11-5. Alonso will play Anthony Herrera in the quarters, as Herrera was a winner over Alexi David Cocco Hayes, 15-0, 15-3.

The bottom of the bracket has gone according to form, but Chris Crowther lost to 6th seed Jaime Martell, 15-10, 3-15, 11-10, in what was Crowther's third match of the day, and it was the third match that went tie-breaker. All that racquetball might have taken its toll on Crowther, one of the tallest pro players around.

Also of note, Sebastian Franco, the 7th seed, is into the quarters without hitting a ball, as his opponents have all defaulted.

The Round of 16 is set for the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2015 Lewis Drug 37th Annual Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There was one upset in the preliminary round, but it by default, as Tanner Prentice got a forfeit win over Tom Fuhrmann. That puts Prentice up against IRT #2 Kane Waselenchuk in the Round of 16.

Top seed Rocky Carson will play Lee Connell, who defeated Troy Vanbemmelen, 11-2, 11-6, 11-3, in the preliminary round.

The IRT Network will carry the Round of 16 live beginning at 5:15 PM CST. The quarterfinal and semi-final rounds will both be played on Saturday with the final on Sunday.

Jake Bredenbeck lost his first match as the top seed this weekend at the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) San Diego Open to Felipe Munoz, 15-7, 15-14, in what has to be one of the biggest upsets on the WRT ever.

In the Round of 16, Munoz will play current World Junior U18 Champion Mario Mercado, who defeated Alan Natera, 14-15, 15-9, 11-9, in the 32s.

No other big upsets in the early action, although Chris Crowther needed three games to defeat Kenny Green Jr., 15-4, 14-15, 11-2.

The first round of matches are over at the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) 2015 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am, and it wasn't a good round for the veterans, as Jessica Parrilla defeated Kerri Wachtel, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, and Alexandra Herrera beat Jennifer Saunders, 11-3, 11-3, 11-9.

However, those weren't upsets by the seeding, as Saunders has limited her LPRT appearances in recent years and Wachtel withdrew from regular LPRT involvement, generally only playing at this event in her hometown, where she is one of the tournament directors.

But there was one small upset in the Round of 32, as 18th seed Kimberly Thomas (née Irons) defeated 15th seed Maria Renee Rodriguez, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, to advance to the Round of 16, where she will play 2nd seed Maria Jose Vargas.

In doubles, Rodriguez and Saunders defeated the veteran team of Cheryl Gudinas and Laura Fenton Kovanda, 15-6, 11-15, 11-4, and will play top seeds Rhonda Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas tonight in the quarterfinals.

Also winning in doubles were Sheryl Lotts and Thomas, who beat Elaine Albrecht and Wachtel, 15-3, 15-5, and Cristina Amaya and Da'monique Davis, who were winners over Adrienne Haynes and Sharon Jackson, 15-12, 15-11.

The singles 16s will be played later today with the quarterfinals and semi-finals on Saturday and final on Sunday. The doubles quarters go tonight with the semis Saturday and final on Sunday.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Jake Bredenbeck, fresh off his win last weekend at the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) Sonora Open, is the top seed this weekend at the WRT San Diego Open where there is a large draw of 43 players in singles and 14 doubles teams.

Bredenbeck is the top seed, but perhaps the player to beat is Chris Crowther, who's playing in his first WRT event. As it's his first event, Crowther has the lowest seeding, so if he does make it to the final, where he could meet Bredenbeck, as they are on opposite sides of the draw, it would be his 6th match of the event.

That would be a lot of racquetball for a player like Crowther who has been troubled by back injuries from time to time. And to reach the final, Crowther will likely have to defeat 3rd seed Alejandro Cardona in the quarters and 2nd seed Polo Gutierrez in the semis in what would be his 4th and 5th matches of the draw. Not an easy task at the best of times.

It should make for a very interesting weekend.

Adding to the interest is the doubles draw in San Diego, and there are a few teams of note, including the top seeds Bredenbeck and Sebastian Franco, who won doubles last week in Sonora.

But also in the doubles draw is the team of World Junior Champions Christian Longoria and Mario Mercado, who won Boy's U16 and Boy's U18 last year, and former Women's World Champions Jacqueline Paraiso and Joy Paraiso-Mackenzie.

Longoria and Mercado are seeded 5th, and will likely play 4th seeds Alejandro Cardona and Danny Lavely in the quarters, which should be a tough match. The Paraiso sisters will also be in tough right off the hop, as they are seeded 14th and play last week's runners up 3rd seeds Jaime Martell and Andree Parrilla.

The International Racquetball Tour (IRT) is playing the second of back-to-back events this weekend with the 2015 Lewis 37th Annual Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The draw is small with just 21 players, but they will also be playing doubles, which will give added interest to the event.

A few Canadian players have made the trip down to Sioux Falls, including Canadian National Team member Tim Landeryou, who could play Alvaro Beltran in the Round of 16.

Also in the draw is left-hander Thomas Fuhrmann, USA National Team member at the 2014 World Championships, where he played doubles with Ben Croft. If Fuhrmann wins his preliminary round match against Canadian junior Tanner Prentice, he'll play 2nd seed Kane Waselenchuk in the Round of 16, which would be a rare battle of lefties.

The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web, but we're not sure when they are going to start. The first Round of 16 matches begin 5:15 PM CST Friday. The quarterfinal and semi-final rounds will both be played on Saturday with the final on Sunday.

Kane Waselenchuk's win last week at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) New York City Pro-Am was not quite enough to lift him back into the #1 position on the rankings. Rocky Carson, runner up to Waselenchuk last weekend, remains #1. Thus, you can be sure that Waselenchuk will want to win this weekend at the Lewis Drug Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Sioux Falls draw will be small, as only 21 players are entered, but there will also be doubles, so that will give the event some added interest.

Not many changes in the top 10. Alvaro Beltran is solidly 3rd. But fewer than 100 points separate Daniel De La Rosa in 4th, Jose Rojas 5th, and Ben Croft in 6th.

Similarly, only 148 points separates 7th to 11th. Jansen Allen is currently 7th, Tony Carson, who hasn't played many events this season, 8th, Marco Rojas 9th, Charlie Pratt 10th and Chris Crowther 11th. It's the first time in several years that Crowther has dropped out of the top 10.

There have been rumours of Crowther's retirement, but we've seen nothing official. However, a source has told us that E-Force isn't funding Crowther to travel to events, which could explain his absences from the last few events.

Perhaps more curious is that Crowther is in the draw this weekend for the San Diego Open - a World Racquetball Tour (WRT) event. Crowther lives in San Diego, so no travel is needed to attend that event.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

The first Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) tournament of 2015 is this weekend in Cincinnati with the 2015 Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati Pro-Am. There are 21 players in the draw, and the top 10 players will all be in Cincinnati.

For the first time since 2011, three different players have won the last three women's pro tour events. In the last three events, Rhonda Rajsich won in Stockton, Paola Longoria won in Monterrey, and Maria Jose Vargas won in Arlington. In 2011, it was Samantha Salas, Rajsich and Longoria who won in Olympia, WA, Arlington, and California, respectively.

To find a run of four different winners, you have to go back to the start of the 2007-08 season, when Longoria won her first tournament in Fayetteville, N.C. followed by wins by Christie Huczek (née Van Hees) in Toronto, Rajsich at the US Open and Cheryl Gudinas in Arlington.

Could there be a fourth different winner this weekend? Salas hasn't won since Olympia in 2011, and Gudinas's last win was in 2010. Frédérique Lambert and Cristina Amaya have the talent to do it, but have yet to win on tour, so if either did in Cincinnati, it would certainly be a surprise.

Thus, we have to think that LPRT #1 Longoria, #2 Vargas, or #3 Rajsich is going to come out on top in Cincinnati.

Monday, January 19, 2015

This past weekend was a big weekend for racquetball. We've told you about the Tier 1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) Temperature Controls New York City Pro-Am and the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) Sonora Open, but there were other events going on across the USA.

Da'monique Davis won the Women's Open division of the Longhorn Open by beating Adrienne Haynes, 7-15, 15-9, 11-3, in the final. Davis defeated Bernadette Zimmerman, 15-6, 15-5, in one semi-final, and Haynes beat Vianney Lynn, 15-3, 15-2, in the other.

In Syosset, New York, Danny Lavely won the Men's Open division of the Temperature Controls NYC Pro-Am, with a win over Alejandro Romo Garcia in the final, 15-9, 14-15, 11-0. In the semis, Lavely beat Troy Warigon, 15-6, 15-3, and Garcia defeated Ryan Hunter.

Were there too many tournaments this past weekend? With both the IRT and WRT in action, there were fewer players in either draw than usually seen. The New York City IRT event has had at least 40 players in each of the last six years and four of those years there were 50 or more players. Yet this year, only 24 players were in Syosset.

Also, the WRT event had only 20 players, when they have often had over 30.

The Longhorn Open is a big event, and there were several players in that draw that have played in WRT or IRT events. Also, there was another non-pro tour event in Lewiston, Idaho that had notable players - Taylor Knoth, Jimmy Lowe, Joshua Hungerford, Coby Arff - in the draw.

One measure of competitiveness is how many competitors there are. Having more tournament naturally decreases the competitiveness of any one tournament, because the number of competitors decreases across the events. Having some co-ordination would be helpful to players and fans alike.

Whether that will happen is uncertain, but it's certainly not happening this weekend, as both the IRT and WRT are in action again, as is the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT).

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Jake Bredenbeck won his first World Racquetball Tour (WRT) event Sunday, as he defeated Polo Gutierrez in the final of the Sonora Open in Hermosillo, Mexico, 15-10, 2-15, 11-2. With the win, Bredenbeck will become the #1 player on the WRT. It was his fourth final.

Gutierrez was the #1 WRT player coming into the event, and Bredenbeck was #3.

Afterwards, Bredenbeck said "it's a good feeling to finally win one." He added it was "cool to take the #1 spot. But it was about winning the tournament. Felt good to win."

In game one, Gutierrez was in control early, as he led 6-1 and 10-6. However, Bredenbeck came back and tied it at 10-10.

Then Bredenbeck held Gutierrez at 10 and pushed to win it 15-10. The winning shot was a backhand pinch roll out off a big opportunity in the front court.

Game two was all Gutierrez, as he won comfortably 15-2.

Although Gutierrez had the momentum going into the tie-breaker, it was Bredenbeck who stepped up and seized the moment. He hit some great serves to both sides, but perhaps especially tough down the right side, which was a glass wall.

Bredenbeck also hit some great forehand splat shots into that glass wall. But it was a forehand cross court that won it for him coming after a drive serve down the right side that was returned down the line by Gutierrez, but not well enough.

Gutierrez has a great record in tie-breakers, but he was not able to win it today.

Bredenbeck was a double winner Sunday, as he and Sebastian Franco won the doubles title, beating Jaime Martell and Andree Parrilla in the final, 15-10, 15-7.

The San Diego Open is the next WRT event, and it goes next weekend January 22-25.

Kane Waselenchuk won his fourth International Racquetball Tour (IRT) tournament of the 2014-15 season, as he defeated Rocky Carson in the final of the 2015 Temperature Controls New York City Pro-Am in Syosset, N.Y., 11-4, 11-7, 11-6, on Sunday.

Waselenchuk started well, taking a 5-0 lead in game one. Carson cut the lead to 5-2, but was never closer than that, as Waselenchuk went on to win game one 11-4.

In game two, Waselenchuk again led early, but they were back and forth with ties at 3-3 and 5-5. Then Carson took a two point lead at 7-5, and it looked like he could level the match.

However, Waselenchuk responded, scoring two points to tie the game at 7-7. He took the lead with an incredible overhead pinch from 39' that was flat in the front left corner. He kept going from there and took game two 11-7.

Down 2-0, Carson did not fold his tent and go home. He continued to battle, and they were close early in game three, as in game two. Carson took a lead at 5-4.

But Waselenchuk again responded. He tied the match off a poor serve return from Carson off a rare lob serve to the right side. Carson hit an overhead return that went right into the floor.

From there, Waselenchuk took the lead and didn't relinquish it. Throughout the match his shots put a lot of pressure on Carson, who made several great gets, but too often his shots were just keeping the ball in play rather than putting the pressure back on his opponent.

Afterwards, Waselenchuk said "my serve return was really, really good. That was the difference." Waselenchuk did hit some great returns, even off of good serves by Carson.

Waselenchuk added that it "feels nice to play and not feel dizzy," as he had missed recent tournaments due to inner ear troubles that effected his balance.

The IRT will be back in action next weekend with the Lewis Drug Pro-Am in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Qualifying play begins Thursday.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Tenth seed Andree Parrilla upset 2nd seed Alejandro Cardona, 15-10, 15-13, to advance to the semi-finals of the World Racquetball Tour (WRT) Sonora Open in Hermosillo, Mexico. It's the first pro semi-finals for the former World Junior U16 Champion.

Parrilla will face Jake Bredenbeck in the semis, as Bredenbeck beat Jaime Martell, 15-9, 15-12, in the quarterfinals Saturday.

The other semi-final is between top seed Polo Gutierrez and 4th seed David Horn after they won their respective quarterfinal matches. Gutierrez defeated current World Junior U16 Champion Christian Longoria, 15-8, 15-2, and Horn beat Javier Mar, 15-10, 15-7.

You can watch the semi-finals from Hermosillo live from 5 PM MST via the WRT website.

It'll be #1 versus #2 in the final of the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2015 Temperature Controls New York City Pro-Am in Syosset, N.Y. Sunday after both Rocky Carson and Kane Waselenchuk won their respective semi-final matches in three straight games.

Carson, the top seed, defeated 5th seed Daniel De La Rosa, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6. It looked like De La Rosa might extend the match in game three, as he took a 6-0 lead. However, Carson held him there, and scored 11 straight points to close out the match in three.

The World Racquetball Tour (WRT) is in action this weekend with the Sonora Open in Hermosillo, New Mexico. There's a smaller draw that they've had recently, but still 20 players are vying for the title.

Two young Mexicans have made the quarterfinals. Current U16 World Junior Champion Christian Longoria will play top seed Polo Gutierrez in the quarter after Longoria upset 8th seed Erick Sandoval, 15-12, 15-12, and the 2013 U16 World Junior Champion Andree Parrilla faces 2nd seed Alejandro Cardona after beating 7th seed Sebastian Franco, 15-12, 15-12.

But the biggest upset was 12th seed Javier Mar's win over 5th seed Anthony Herrera, 15-9, 15-9. Mar will play 4th seed David Horn in the quarters.

You can watch the quarterfinal action from Hermosillo live from 10 AM MST via the WRT website.

Carson will face 5th seed Daniel De La Rosa in the semi-finals on Saturday, as De La Rosa came back from two games down to upset 4th seed Jose Rojas in five games, 11-13, 5-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-3.

De La Rosa's win was all the more remarkable, because he could hardly put weight on his left leg by the end of the match. He hurt his groin early on, and was hampered from at least the second game on.

In his injured condition, De La Rosa hit straight lobs on the right side that Rojas usually returned to the ceiling, which led to many pinch winners by De La Rosa.

Rojas had a chance to win the match in game four, when he led 10-9, but he wasn't able to finish off De La Rosa, who took full advantage to force game five.

3rd seed Alvaro Beltran was also feeling the effects of an injury that he sustained earlier in the day against Robert Collins in the Round of 16, but he wasn't able to overcome against 6th seed Ben Croft, who won their quarterfinal match in four games, 12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7.

In game one, it looked like Beltran might be able to win despite his injury, as was up 8-2. However, Croft scored 8 straight points to lead 10-8. Beltran tied it at 10-10 before Croft completed the comeback, winning 12-10.

Game two was all Croft, but Beltran won game three, and they were tied 7-7 in game four before Croft finished off the match, hitting a forehand pinch shot to end it.

The IRT Network will have the semi-finals live from 4 PM EST Saturday. The final will be noon on Sunday.

Results still going mostly according to form at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2015 Temperature Controls New York City Pro-Am in Syosset, N.Y. However, Marco Rojas, the 9th seed, did upset the 8th seed Charlie Pratt, 11-4, 11-7, 11-9, in the Round of 16.

The win puts Rojas in the quarterfinals against top seed Rocky Carson, who was a straight game winner against Samuel Murray, 11-5, 11-1, 11-2.

Robert Collins almost provided the shock of the tournament, as he went five games with 3rd seed Alvaro Beltran, but the veteran prevailed denying Collins his first quarterfinal berth, 11-1, 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-2.

Beltran tweaked his ankle at 6-6 in game two, and took all of his injury time before continuing. He seemed to be hampered by the injury, but was able to pull out the win against the young left-hander.

Beltran will play Ben Croft in the quarters, as Croft beat Jose Diaz, 11-5, 11-4, 11-2, in the 16s.

Kane Waselenchuk made a successful return to the IRT with a win over Mauricio Zelada, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2. Waselenchuk will play Jansen Allen in the quarters, as Allen beat Danny Lavely, 11-7, 6-11, 11-1, 11-5.

The IRT Network will have the quarterfinals live from 5 PM EST Friday.

No surprises from the qualifying round Thursday at the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2015 Temperature Controls New York City Pro-Am in Syosset, N.Y. But there were two five game matches.

In one, Samuel Murray defeated Joseph Palazzo, 4-11, 11-4, 11-2, 2-11, 11-3, to advance to the Round of 16 against top seed Rocky Carson. In the other, Matthew Majxner took out John Behm, 11-3, 5-11, 11-2, 8-11, 11-1. Majxner will play Daniel De La Rosa in the 16s Friday.

The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web from Friday at 11 AM EST.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Pro racquetball is back! We can say that the new year really begins this weekend with the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) 2015 Temperature Controls New York City Pro-Am. There are fewer players that in past years, as there will be only one round of qualifying on Thursday, when often there have been three rounds in past years.

Also of note, Rocky Carson is the top seed in New York, as Kane Waselenchuk is #2 after missing three of the last four events and had to default in the quarterfinals of the fourth. Waselenchuk has not had the best luck in New York, as he's lost there more than in any other tour location. But of his five losses there four have been by default. Only Mike Guidry defeated Waselenchuk in a completed match in New York.

Hopefully, Waselenchuk's completely fit for this weekend. If so, then he should be the player to beat.

Matches to look forward to this weekend - apart from any involving Waselenchuk - should include Charlie Pratt versus Marco Rojas, who will likely meet in the Round of 16.

Daniel De La Rosa's performances will also be of interest, as he won the last IRT event: the New Jersey Open in December. De La Rosa is on course to meet Jose Rojas in the quarterfinals, and with a win there could meet Rocky Carson in the semi-finals, which would be a repeat of their New Jersey Open semi.

The IRT Network will carry the action live over the web from Friday at 10 AM EST.